1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to boat design and construction, and more particularly to the open-water testing of model hulls as a part of that effort, including a model hull testing method, a testing platform, and a testing system.
2. Description of Related Art
A boat designer undertakes hull-form performance and other model hull testing as an important part of boat design and development. Tank testing at a model basin site is one method usually used. A typical model basin site includes a water-filled basin (i.e., a towing tank) that may be as much as several meters wide and hundreds of meters long. The model hull is supported in the tank from above by a “heave post” that is attached to a tank-spanning carriage. The carriage moves along rails on either side of the tank to drive the model hull through the water in the tank while drag and other desired measurements are electronically recorded and analyzed. A wave generator may be employed to help determine the hull's likely real-life seagoing behavior when operating in various sea states.
To test one or more model hulls, the designer makes the necessary arrangements with a model basin site, ships the model hulls to the site, runs the desired tests in the time arranged, and then transports the hulls back from the model basin site. This is a common way of doing it, but it has certain drawbacks. Apart from the very significant time, expense, and inconvenience involved, rough-water and other real-world, open-water conditions do not exist at the towing tank. In addition, hull comparison data can be affected when attempting to compare the performance of two hulls because the hulls do not experience the same virtual sea states at the same time. For these, and other reasons that will become more apparent, a need exists for another way to test model hulls.